Shortly after dark last evening a violent storm came on from N.W. attended with rain hail Thunder and lightning which continued the greater part of the night.  no having the means of making a shelter I lay in the water all night.  the rain continued with but little intermission all day.  I intend halting as soon as the weather proves fair in order to dry our baggage which much wants it.  I placed the two Fieldses and Colter and Collins in the two smallest canoes <on> with orderes to hunt, and kill meat for the party and obtain as many Elkskins as are necessry to cover our canoes and furnish us with shelters from the rain.  we set out early and the currant being strong we proceeded with great rapidity.  at 11 A.M. we passed that very interesting part of the Missouri where the natural walls appear, particularly discribed in my outward bound journey. [The Stone Walls and White Cliffs of the Missouri.  See May 31, 1805.]   we continued our rout untill late in the evening and encamped on the N.E. side of the river at the same place we had encamped on the 29th of May 1805. [Lewis's camp was on the north side of the Missouri about a mile above the mouth of Arrow Creek (Lewis and Clark's Slaughter River).]   on our way today we killed 9 bighorns of which I preserved the skins and skeletons of 2 females and one male; the flesh of this aninmal is extreemly delicate tender and well flavored, they are now in fine order.   their flesh both in colour and flavor much resembles mutton thought it is not so strong as our mutton.  the eye is large and prominant, the puple of a pale sea green and iris of a light yellowish brown colour.   these animals abound in this quarter keeping themselves principally confined to the steep clifts and bluffs of the river.  we saw immence hirds of buffaloe in the high plains today on either hand of the river.  saw but few Elk.  the brown Curloo has left the plains I presume it has raised it's young and retured to some other climate and country.  as I have been very particular in my discription of the country as I ascended this river I presume it is unnecesssesary her to add any-thilng further on that subject.  the river is now nearly as high as it has been this season and is so thick with mud and sand that it is with difficulty I can drink it.   every little rivulet now discharges a torrant of water bringing down imme[n]ce boddies of mud sand and filth from the plains and broken bluffs.--

July 29, 1806
John Ordway

cloudy and rain   we Set out as usal and proceeded on fast   Saw large gangs of buffals. and Elk. R. Frazer killed an Elk. we took the hide and Some of the meat   about 11 A. M. we entered the high clay broken country   white clay hills and the white walls resembling ancient towns & buildings &C. [The Stone Walls and White Cliffs of the Missouri River.]   Saw a flock of big horn or Ibex on the top of those walls.   we halted and the 2 Fields killed two large Rams which had large horns. Capt Lewis had them Scallintinized [skeletonized] and all the bones & horns as well as the Skin [preserved] to take to the Seat of government. we dined and procd. on passing the white pleasant walls and Stone wall Creek [Eagle Creek] and on our way this after noon we killed Seven more Ibex along these clay & Stone hills and knobs, where these animels live generally. Capt Lewis had two of the femail Scallintineized also.   we had a Shower of rain. Saw buffaloe &c &c.

July 29, 1806
Patrick Gass

Early in a cloudy morning we commenced our voy age [sic] from the mouth of Maria's river; and the current of the Missouri being very swift, we went down rapidly. At noon we saw some Ibex or Bighorns at the entrance of a range of high rough hills; and we halted and killed two of them. Having dined we proceeded on again, and in our way, during the afternoon, killed seven more of these mountain sheep. There are few other animals in this range of high country. In the evening we encamped opposite the mouth of Slaughter river [About a mile above the mouth of Arrow Creek, where the expedition camped May 29, 1805.], and Captain Lewis had four of these animals skeletonized, to take with him to the seat of Government of the United States. A considerable quantity of rain fell in the course of the day.

July 29, 1806
William Clark

N. 25o W.	5	miles to the enteranc of a dry Brook in a Lard. bend near the high land.  passed 8 islands & 3 br
East	3	miles to a the enterance of a Brook in the Stard. Bend below an Island
N. 10o W.	1 1/2	miles to a Lard. bend
East	1 1/2	miles to a <Clift> Bluff on Stard. Side
N. 40o E	4 1/2	miles to a lower part of a Std. Bluff    bluff low.   wind from N.
N.	1 1/2	miles to a few trees in a Lard Bend
East	6	miles to a low bluff on the Stard. Side    passed an Island and a large dry Brook at 5 miles & Som wood
N. 76o E.	3	miles to a Coal Bluff on Stard    passed an Isld. and a dry Brook on Stard. sd.
N. 40o E.	1	miles under the Coal Bluff Std.
North	4	miles to the upper part of the Lard. Bluff.   passed an Island and a large Brook on the Stard. Side. and a low dry Brook or bead on the Lard.
N. 55o E	2 <3> 1/2	Miles to a Lard. point (dined)  low bottom on each Side  killed a Black Tail deer
N. 20o E	1 <2> 1/2	Miles to a Lard. Bluff Several Strates of Coal in the hills 1 mile back
N. 60o E	1 1/2	Miles to a point of rocks on the Lard. Side   passed a bar Ld.
N. 30o E	3 <1 1/2>	miles to a point on Std. Side  pd a Sand near which the [blank] River comes near the Stard Shore
N. 45o E	2	miles to the enterance of [blank] 150 yds. Passed an isld. and 2 bars  wate 1/4 of a mile banks. Bluffs on Lard. wate of R muddy & worm
N. 32o E.	2 1/2	mile to the lowr part of the wood in the Stard. bend opsd. the had of an island
	44 1/2

July 29, 1806
William Clark

A Slight rain last night with hard thunder and Sharp lightening accompanied with a violent N.E. wind. I Set out early this morning   wind So hard a head that w made but little way.  in the fore part of the day, I saw great numbers of Buffalow on the banks.  the country on either Side is like that of yesterday.  passed three large dry Brooks on the Stard. Side [Cottonwood, Moon, and either Snell, Lignite, or Coal creeks on the south side of the Yellowstone. One of them would likely be the "Dry Brook" shown below the "Mar shas kap River" and the camp of July 28 on Clark's map.] and four on the Lard Side. [Probably Bull, Wilson, Whitetail, and Steiger or Reservation creeks on the north side of the Yellowstone.]   great quantities of Coal in all the hills I passed this day. late in the evening I arived at the enterance of a River which I take to be [NB: called by Indian] the Lazeka or Tongue River [The Tongue River meets the Yellowstone at Miles City.]  it discharges itself on the Stard. Side and is 150 yards wide of water    the banks are much wider. I intended to encamp on an eligable Spot imediately below this river, but finding that its' water So muddy and worm as to render it very disagreeable to drink, I crossed the rochejhone and encamped on an island close to the Lard. Shore. [This camp was below Tongue River, opposite, and north of Miles City. On his map it is placed on the south side of the Yellowstone below the Tongue River.]    The water of this river is nearly milk worm very muddy and of a <dark> lightish brown Colour.  the Current rapid and the Chanel Contains great numbers of Snags.  near its enterance there is great quantities of wood Such as is common in the low bottoms of the Rochejhone and Missouri.  [NB: it heads in Cote Noir <with>  has 2 branches  1 Heads with the Chayenne & 1 with one of the Big H's branches] [One of the branches is likely Pumpkin Creek and the other the Tongue River which rises in the Bighorn Mountains. Neither has its source near the Cheyenne River in east-central Wyoming.] tho' I believe that the Country back thro' whic this river passes is an open one where the water is exposed to the Sun which heats it in its passage.  it is Shallow and throws out great quantities of mud and Some cors gravel.  below this river and on the Stard Side at a fiew Miles from the Rochejhone the hills are high and ruged Containing Coal in great quantities. Beaver is very plenty on this part of the Rochejhone.  The River widens   I think it may be generally Calculated at from 500 yards to ahlf a mile in width   more Sand and gravelly bars than above.  cought 3 cat fish.  they wer Small and fat.   also a Soft Shell turtle. [Western Spiny Soft Shell Turtle, Trionyx spiniferus hartwegi.]

Course Distance & Remarks July 29th